FDM Document Solutions Hi-mail AI Integration to remove cost burden of translation services

With UK communities speaking over 100 languages, councils must ensure that communications are accessible to all residents, including those with limited English or that have English as their second language.

Traditional translation services are costly, with fees averaging £50–£100 per document. They can also be slow which, with time-sensitive and critical documentation, can cause further challenges.

By embedding AI-powered translation into its Hi-mail hybrid mail system, FDM Document Solutions has turned this challenge into an opportunity, delivering real-time, accurate, and scalable multilingual communications across physical and digital channels.

This integration makes AI translation the centrepiece of its solution, ensuring inclusivity and enhanced engagement with recipients.

Chief Growth Officer for FDM Document Solutions, Ian Forster, comments: “As the way that we communicate continues to evolve, local government departments face increasing pressure to deliver efficient, accessible, and inclusive solutions for diverse communities, which is where we come in.

“By integrating AI translation into our Hi-mail system, we can address key challenges such as budget constraints, regulatory compliance, linguistic diversity, and resident expectations, delivering seamless physical and digital communications across multiple channels.

“We must stress that integrating AI into our services does not remove the personal approach that has become synonymous with FDM Document Solutions. We are simply making sure that our clients have access to the latest technologies and that they are used to bring them additional benefits where it matters most, to the bottom line.”

Providing services to the public and private sector, this announcement comes just months after the business used an analysis of customer feedback to determine preferred channels of communication, resulting in a WhatsApp integration to Hi-mail.

Complementing existing email and SMS delivery options, as well as providing a more user-friendly interface and bulk delivery options, the system now provides additional assurance to the customer that all data is end-to-end encrypted.

Supporting the company’s investment in inbound document processing, the Hi-mail 2.0 system has the functionality to become an inbound document portal, allowing customers to use the Hi-mail solution as a complete digital mailroom solution.

The service supports councils in delivering high-volume communications, such as election materials, Revenues and Benefits notifications, parking and housing notices. Through the system, clients report a 15% reduction in operational costs and a 20% increase in resident engagement due to its flexibility and efficiency.

With more than 30 years’ experience, through innovative thinking and new technologies, FDM Document Solutions manages the way that large-scale multi-channel communications are delivered, reducing printing, mailing and postage costs.

For more information about FDM Document Solutions and the services that it provides for customers, please visit www.fdmdocumentsolutions.co.uk, contact a member of the team on tel. 020 7055 1600 or follow @FDM Document Solutions on LinkedIn.